Overview:

In this lesson for older students the class conducts a simulated Royal Commission inquiry into the Plight of Children In Developing Nations and Canada's Role in Assisting. Organized into 6 investigative teams or "Think Tanks" each group is responsible to thoroughly research one major issue about the plight of children, prepare recommendations and rational for certain approaches to helping. Finally they will present their report to their class, in a persuasive manner, in order to have it included in the final Royal Commission report prepared by the class. Finally the class will present their report to a non-school agency.

Objectives/Outcomes:

Students will learn:

• to analyze a written article in order to better understand it;
• to research using the Internet for relevant information;
• to make recommendations and support their recommendations with sound rationale;
• what a Royal Commission Inquiry and Report entails;
• how to work cooperatively with classmates;
• to discuss and compromise in order to reach a consensus;
• about six issues that are causing great harm and suffering to children around the world;
• about the plight of children.

Equipment:

• Computers with Internet capabilities and colour printers.

Process:

1. Present to your students the background information about the plight of children from the Introduction to Lessons section. Ask them their reaction to this information. Explain to them that they are going to conduct an investigation into the plight of children using the style or format of a Royal Commission Report. The purpose of this Report is to make recommendations about what Canada and Canadians should do to help with this tragic situation. They will present their Report to the local media and send a copy to their local member of parliament.

For background information on Royal Commissions you can search the Internet for examples and models. A recent example is the Romanow Royal Commission on The Future of Health Care in Canada:
http://www.healthcarecommission.com

2. To get a focus on the dimensions of the situation give each student a different story to read dealing with the plight of children. You can easily find enough stories from these 5 Web sites. Be sure to include a range of stories that cover the following 6 issues:

• Exploitation of children through child labour.
• Victimization of children through armed conflict.
• The plight of child soldiers.
• The tragedy of homeless children living on the streets.
• The search of refugee children for safe haven.
• The cruel prospects of children with disabilities including HIV/Aids infection.

http://www.globeandmail.com (Story by Mark MacKinnon, Nov. 14, 2002.)
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/childprotection
http://www.savethechildren.ca/en/whatwedo/index.html
http://www.gmfc.org/en/protectchildren/learnmore.html
http://www.plan-uk.org/action/stories

Direct the students to classify their article under one of the Issues and then group the students with the same type of articles together. These groups will be the "Think Tank" research group for that issue. (It would be best if you had an equal number of articles from each Issue so that groups or teams will be about the same size.) They can now analyze and compare their articles to identify some facts, opinions and dimensions of their Issue. They should be sure to answer all the 5 "W" questions and to look for what is already being done to assist with the present situation.

3. Each "Think Tank" should also go beyond their few articles to explore the Internet and any other relevant sources for more information and thoroughly research their Issue. Set a deadline for them to have their section of the report written. Clarify that each section must include a backgrounder, recommendations about what Canada and Canadians should do to assist (including government and non-government agencies), and a rationale for each recommendation.

4. When all Think Tanks are finished they will present their report with recommendations to the whole class. The class will decide, hopefully by consensus, to include a number of the recommendations in the final Royal Commission Report for the class. They will need to discuss and debate this carefully and thoughtfully. Only a few of the best recommendations should be included. It wouldn't be wise to include too many. They should try to be realistic while still striving for a better world for children.

5. A Final Report is produced and carefully edited. 4 or 5 copies should be made for distribution. A strategy is determined for a "Press Conference" where the Report will be presented to the local media.

6. Copies are sent to your local member of parliament and any local International Aid Agencies.

Assessment and Evaluation:

1. Evaluate each "Think Tank" group on their section of the simulated Royal Commission report.

Suggested criteria:

• content (Is the issue thoroughly researched and presented?);
• thoroughness (Is all the criteria met?);
• effectiveness (Are the recommendations valid and supported with thoughtful rationale?);
• teamwork (Did they work effectively as a team?);
• effort (Did they work in a dedicated and cooperative manner, maximizing the talents of the individuals within the group?)

2. Assess the students individually on their:

• knowledge of the plight of children (A written test of common knowledge may be appropriate);
• cooperation, decision-making and research skills;
• presentation and discussion skills.

3. Evaluate the whole class project, the Royal Commission Report on the Plight of Children. Include the quality of the final report as well as the class' ability to build a consensus and to present their findings to the media and non-school agencies